This week the Solvay Chemistry Conference in Brussels celebrates its centennial. The first conference took place in 1922. Thursday 20 October this year is the highlight of the three-day event, with the academic session “Chemistry and the future of society” in the presence of King Filip followed by a gala dinner. This celebration welcomes numerous prominent figures and a string of Nobel Prize winners. The event is organised by the International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry, with which VUB and ULB are closely affiliated.

Prime minister Alexander De Croo and secretary of state for science policy Thomas Dermine attend on behalf of the Belgian government. They meet no fewer than four Nobel laureates. 

The first is Ben Feringa, who leads the panel discussion on how fundamental research in chemistry should lead to sustainable solutions. In 2016, this Dutch professor at the University of Groningen received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research on molecular nanomachines.

Next, Jean-Marie Lehn and Stefan Hell speaks about “The remarkable (and often unpredictable) impact of basic research”. The 83-year-old French chemist Jean-Marie Lehn received the 1987 Nobel Prize for the development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions with high selectivity.

German physicist Stefan Hell received the Nobel Prize in 2014 for the development of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, a light technique used in biological and medical research.

Finally, Swiss chemist Kurt Wüthrich leads the discussion “Economic impact and funding of fundamental research”. In 2002, he received the Nobel Prize for his revolutionary work on structure elucidation of proteins.

The Solvay Conferences

The Solvay Conferences in Brussels are probably the most famous conferences in physics and chemistry and have played an important role in the history of science. Responsible for the first meeting between Einstein and Poincaré, they were of great importance for understanding of the theory of quantum mechanics, and later for the development of many other areas in modern physics and chemistry. The 2022 edition is taking place from 17 to 20 October.

Next year will see the 29th Triennial Solvay Conference on Physics.